Methodology: The national average credit card APR is comprised of 100 of the most popular credit cards in the country, including cards from dozens of leading U.S. issuers and representing every card category listed above. Introductory, or teaser, rates are not included in the calculation.

The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date. Please review our list of best credit cards, or use our CardMatch tool to find cards matched to your needs.

Average
rates on new card offers remained unchanged this week, according to the
CreditCards.com Weekly Credit Card Rate Report.

The
national average annual percentage rate (APR) remained at 15.03 percent
Wednesday.

Most
issuers left interest rates alone this week. Barclays introduced a slightly
higher APR to the Wyndham Rewards Visa Signature card. However, the change
didn't affect the national average because Barclays still offers the card's
lower APR to some applicants.

For the
fifth time in three months, Barclays also revised the promotional offer on the
US Airways Premier World MasterCard. This week, Barclays trimmed the airline
card's 0 percent balance transfer offer from 15 months to 12 months. In
addition, Barclays introduced a 12-month, interest-free offer on purchases.

Discover
card was also active. The issuer eliminated the introductory APR on the "it"
card for students. Previously, students had six months to make interest-free
purchases.

Holiday shopping forecasts remain
mixedAfter a sluggish
summer, retailers and credit card issuers are now gearing up for the holiday
season. However, uncertainty created by this month's government shutdown has
made it hard for retailers to predict just how successful they'll be in luring
holiday shoppers to spend.

A fresh
report from Deloitte, released Oct. 22, shows that before the government
shutdown, consumers planned to spend an average of $35 more this holiday season
than they planned to spend last year.

According
to the survey, conducted in September, consumers said they planned to spend, on
average, about $421 on holiday gifts this year -- up from $386 the year before.

Consumers
also indicated that they were going to spend slightly more this holiday season
on personal purchases. For example, according to the survey, consumers said
they wanted to spend about 14 percent more this year on something extra for
themselves or for their family members. Respondents also said they were going to
spend about 25 percent more on sprucing up their homes with new holiday
decorations or furnishings.

Analysts
at Deloitte say they are encouraged by consumers' optimism. Before the fiscal
crisis threatened to derail the economic recovery, 54 percent of consumers also
told researchers that they believed the economy was on the upswing.

"The
survey reveals a brighter consumer spending outlook that we've seen in several
years," said Deloitte's Alison Paul in a statement. "Consumers are feeling more
generous about gift spending, and we are encouraged by their plans to spend
more on going out for celebrations, decorating their homes and treating
themselves and their families to 'early gifts' while holiday shopping this
year."

That
said, a separate report from Gallup showed that consumer confidence took a
sharp nosedive directly after the government shutdown, leading some analysts to
speculate that the two-and-a-half week crisis could negatively impact
consumers' willingness to spend.

According
to Paul, the last-minute resolution to the crisis may soothe consumers' worries
for now. "The government shutdown and debt crisis had the potential to dampen consumer
sentiment. However, the settlement likely averted any significant impact on the
holiday season," said Paul. "The timely resolution of those issues may also
give consumers an extra confidence boost just as promotions start hitting the
stores and the shopping season gets underway."

Other
analysts, however, are less optimistic. According to a survey conducted by the
National Retail Federation after the government shutdown began, consumers told
researchers that they actually planned to spend slightly less this holiday
season than the year before.

"Though
the foundation for solid holiday season growth exists, Americans are questioning
the stability of our economy, our government and their own finances," said the
National Retail Foundation's Matthew Shay in an Oct. 16 statement. "We expect consumers to set a
modest budget for gifts and other holiday-related purchases as they wait and
see what will become of the U.S. economy in the coming months."

In an
Oct. 3 report, the National Retail Federation forecast that holiday spending
should grow modestly this year as long as uncertainty from the fiscal crisis
doesn't significantly derail consumers' spending plans.

Delayed jobs report shows
lackluster growthConsumer
confidence may also be impacted this holiday season by disappointing jobs
growth. According to the Commerce Department's delayed jobs report,
released Oct. 22, the economy added 148,000 jobs in September -- well below
economists' expectations.

According
to a survey of 93 economists by Bloomberg
News, many predicted that employers would add at least 180,000 jobs or more to
the U.S. economy.

Jobs
growth was relatively slow throughout the third quarter. In August, the economy
added 193,000 jobs (revised upward from 169,000). In July, the economy added
just 89,000 new jobs.

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CreditCards.com is an independent, advertising-supported comparison service. The offers that appear on this site are from companies from which CreditCards.com receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site, including, for example, the order in which they may appear within listing categories. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and the likelihood of applicants' credit approval also impact how and where products appear on this site. CreditCards.com does not include the entire universe of available financial or credit offers.